This study provides the first evidence that high VFA independently predicts a poorer outcome in patients given first-line bevacizumab-based treatment for MCC. However, this predictive biomarker needs to be validated in a different dataset.

TPN supplemented with Ala-Gln dipeptide in ICU patients is associated with a reduced rate of infectious complications and better metabolic tolerance.

In chronic HCV patients, hypobetalipoproteinemia occurs already in the early stages of HCV infection before the development of liver cirrhosis. The correlation between apo B levels and HCV viral load seems to confirm the interaction between hepatitis C infection and beta-lipoprotein metabolism.

Purpose. A better identification of patients who are more likely to benefit from vascular endothelial growth factortargeted therapy is warranted in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). As adipose tissue releases angiogenic factors, we determined whether parameters such as visceral fat area (VFA) were associated with outcome in these patients.Experimental Design. In 113 patients with mRCC who received antiangiogenic agents (bevacizumab, sunitinib, or sorafenib) (n ‫؍‬ 64) or cytokines (n ‫؍‬ 49) as first-line treatment, we used computed tomography to measure VFA and subcutaneous fat area (SFA). We evaluated associations linking body mass index (BMI), SFA, and VFA to time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS).Results. High SFA and VFA values were significantly associated with shorter TTP and OS. By multivariate analysis, high VFA was independently associated with shorter TTP and OS. These results were internally validated using bootstrap analysis. By contrast, VFA was not associated with survival in the cytokine group. In the whole population, interaction between VFA and treatment group was significant for TTP and OS, thereby confirming the results.Conclusion. Our study provides the first evidence that high VFA could be a predictive biomarker from shorter survival in patients given first-line antiangiogenic agents for mRCC. The Oncologist 2011;16:71-81

No abstract

Objective-Plasma concentration of adiponectin is positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. However, the role of adiponectin on HDL metabolism remains unknown. This prompted us to perform an in vivo kinetic study of apoA-I, the main apolipoprotein of HDL, using stable isotopes, in 22 subjects with a wide range of plasma adiponectin, including 11 patients with metabolic syndrome (8 with type 2 diabetes, 3 without type 2 diabetes) and 11 normal individuals. Methods and Results-In the 22 studied subjects, plasma adiponectin levels ranged from 2.57 to 14.44 g/mL and apoA-I fractional catabolic rate (FCR) values ranged from 0.142 to 0.340 day Ϫ1 . A strong negative correlation was found between adiponectin and apoA-I FCR (rϭϪ0.66, PϽ0.001) in the whole studied population and, to a similar extent, in patients with metabolic syndrome (rϭϪ0.73, Pϭ0.010) and normal subjects (rϭϪ0.68, Pϭ0.020), separately. In multivariable analysis, apoA-I FCR was associated negatively with adiponectin (Pϭ0.005) and positively with HDL triglycerides/cholesterol ratio (Pϭ0.006), but not with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, plasma triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, fasting glycemia, and QUICKI. Both adiponectin and HDL triglycerides/cholesterol ratio explained 62% of the variance of apoA-I FCR and adiponectin on its own explained 43%. Conclusions-Our kinetic study shows a strong negative correlation between adiponectin and apoA-I FCR, which can explain the positive link between HDL cholesterol and adiponectin. This association is independent of obesity, insulin resistance, and the content of triglycerides within HDL particles. These data suggest that adiponectin may have a direct role on HDL catabolism. Key Words: adiponectin Ⅲ apoA-I Ⅲ HDL cholesterol Ⅲ insulin-resistance Ⅲ kinetic A diponectin is a peptide predominantly synthesized in the adipose tissue that plays an important role in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and vascular biology. 1,2 It has been suggested to be a link between obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. Plasma adiponectin levels are reduced in individuals with abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or type 2 diabetes. 1,3-5 Adiponectin concentration has been found negatively correlated with abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in humans 6,7 and has been shown to predict the development of type 2 diabetes. 8,9 Furthermore, several studies indicate that plasma adiponectin levels are significantly decreased in patients with coronary heart disease 10,11 and high plasma adiponectin predict a lower risk of future myocardial infarction in nondiabetic 12 and diabetic individuals. 13 However, the link between adiponectin and cardiovascular disease could be partly mediated by its effects on lipids, because several studies indicate that the inverse association between adiponectin and coronary disease is importantly attenuated or no more significant after adjustment for lipids, particularly high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. 12,13 Adiponectin ...

Insulin resistance (IR) in the context of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is becoming more common in HIV-infected patients. Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have an increased risk of IR and type 2 diabetes mellitus. A cross-sectional study was performed to investigate whether chronic HCV infection constitutes a risk factor for IR in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients undergoing HAART. Inclusion criteria were positive HCV viremia and a sustained increase of alanine aminotransferase of at least twice the normal value. A total of 29 HIV-HCV patients, 76 HIV patients, and 121 HCV controls were tested for IR and body mass index (BMI). IR was measured using the homeostasis model assessment. In HIV-HCV and HIV patients, fat redistribution and lipid profile were assessed. There was no significant difference in age, CD4 cell count, HIV viral load, or duration of HAART between the HIV-HCV and HIV groups. HIV-HCV patients and HCV controls had a significant increase in IR when compared with HIV patients (0.25 +/- 0.28 and 0.21 +/- 0.34 versus 0.04 +/- 0.37; p =.01 and p =.003, respectively). Lipoatrophy was observed more frequently in HIV-HCV patients in comparison with HIV patients (41% versus 14%; p =.003). In HIV-HCV patients, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly lower than in HIV patients. In multivariate analysis, IR, BMI, triglyceride levels, and peripheral fat wasting were the independent variables associated with HCV infection. Our findings suggest that chronic HCV infection is a significant factor associated with the development of metabolic abnormalities and with modifications in body composition in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral treatment.

GH-secreting pituitary adenomas can be hypo-, iso-or hyper-intense on T2-weighted MRI sequences. We conducted the current multicenter study in a large population of patients with acromegaly to analyze the relationship between T2-weighted signal intensity on diagnostic MRI and hormonal and tumoral responses to somatostatin analogs (SSA) as primary monotherapy. Acromegaly patients receiving primary SSA for at least 23:113 months were included in the study. Hormonal, clinical and general MRI assessments were performed and assessed centrally. We included 120 patients with acromegaly. At diagnosis, 84, 17 and 19 tumors were T2-hypo-, iso-and hyper-intense, respectively. SSA treatment duration, cumulative and mean monthly doses were similar in the three groups. Patients with T2-hypo-intense adenomas had median SSA-induced decreases in GH and IGF-1 of 88% and 59% respectively, which were significantly greater than the decreases observed in the T2-iso-and hyper-intense groups (P < 0.001). Tumor shrinkage on SSA was also significantly greater in the T2-hypo-intense group (38%) compared with the T2-iso-and hyper-intense groups (8% and 3%, respectively; P < 0.0001). The response to SSA correlated with the calculated T2 intensity: the lower the T2-weighted intensity, the greater the decrease in random GH (P < 0.0001, r = 0.22), IGF-1 (P < 0.0001, r = 0.14) and adenoma volume (P < 0.0001, r = 0.33). The T2-weighted signal intensity of GH-secreting adenomas at diagnosis correlates with hormone reduction and tumor shrinkage in response to primary SSA treatment in acromegaly. This study supports its use as a generally available predictive tool at diagnosis that could help to guide subsequent treatment choices in acromegaly.